david_ayerfandomcom-20200214-history
S.W.A.T.
Plot Synopsis Jim Street (Colin Farrell), a former U.S. Navy SEAL and hot-shot cop from the Los Angeles Police Department and his SWAT team are sent to stop a gang of robbers who have taken over a bank. His high-tempered partner and close friend Brian Gamble (Jeremy Renner) disobeys an order to not fire on the bank robbers, and accidentally wounds a hostage in the process. Gamble and Street are demoted by Captain Fuller (Larry Poindexter), the commander of the LAPD Metropolitan Division. Gamble quits following the argument with Fuller, and Street is taken off the team and sent to work in the "gun cage", where he looks after the gear and weaponry. Six months after the incident, the chief of police calls on Sergeant Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson (Samuel L. Jackson) to help re-organize the SWAT division. Hondo puts together a diverse team, including himself, Street, Christina Sánchez (Michelle Rodriguez), Deacon Kaye (LL Cool J), TJ McCabe (Josh Charles), and Michael Boxer (Brian Van Holt). The team members train together, eventually forging bonds of friendship. As a result, their first mission to subdue an unstable gunman is a success. Meanwhile, French drug lord Alexander Montel (Olivier Martinez) arrives in Los Angeles and goes to a local restaurant to kill his uncle for holding back the family money from him. While driving to the airport, uniformed LAPD personnel stop Montel for a broken tail light and later detain him to get a full positive I.D. on him; they learn through Interpol that he is an international fugitive wanted in over a dozen countries. But as Montel is being transferred to prison, his associates, dressed as LAPD officers, attempt to rescue him as he rides the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department bus. Hondo's team arrives in time to kill the two gunmen and recapture Alexander. As the SWAT team approaches the police station, reporters crowd around them, prompting Montel to yell to the cameras that he would "give 100 million dollars to whoever gets him out of here". The LAPD makes plans to transfer Montel into federal custody. They initially plan for travel by air, but a mysterious attacker shoots down the helicopter with a high-powered rifle. The police next send out a large convoy, which gang members attack and discover to be a decoy, at the same time as Hondo's team is spiriting Montel away in two SUVs. However, while driving Montel into federal custody, TJ had been plotting with Gamble, and the two succeed in taking Montel from the other officers, critically wounding Boxer in the process. Hondo and the rest of his team give chase for a final battle against Gamble's group. Fuller later informs them that Gamble intends to fly Montel out of the United States. Fuller dispatches every officer to an airport to prevent the escape. As Hondo and his SWAT team race across town, they observe a plane flying at lower than normal altitudes and deduce correctly that the plane is the one expected by Gamble. They decide to go after the plane, as available units are at the airport and won't make it in time. Before Gamble's group can take off, the team intercepts it, and a gun battle ensues, killing Gamble's remaining thugs, although it wounds Sánchez. TJ commits suicide out of remorse for his betrayal of the team and to avoid being captured. Street pursues and inadvertently kills Gamble by knocking him under the wheels of a passing train, decapitating him. Fuller and the rest of the LAPD arrive to take care of everything else. Fuller thanks Hondo and his team for their success but tells them the job wasn't finished as Montel was not yet in federal custody. Hondo and his team deliver Montel to a federal prison to await trial. On the way home to Los Angeles, a report of a holdup in progress comes over the police radio and despite the team being two officers down and off shift for the past twelve hours, Hondo, Street, Kaye, and Sanchez decide to help anyway. Cast of Characters Police Officers * Samuel L. Jackson as Sergeant II Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson * Colin Farrell as Police Officer III Jim Street * Michelle Rodriguez as Police Officer III Christina "Chris" Sanchez * LL Cool J as Police Officer III Deacon "Deke" Kay * Brian Van Holt as Police Officer III Michael Boxer * Reg E. Cathey as Lieutenant II Greg Velasquez * Larry Poindexter as Captain Thomas Fuller * James DuMont as Gus * Jeff Wincott as Ed Taylor Villains * Olivier Martinez as Alexander Montel * Jeremy Renner as Police Officer III Brian Gamble * Page Kennedy as Travis * Josh Charles as Police Officer III T.J. McCabe * Domenick Lombardozzi as GQ * Ken Davitian as Martin Gascoigne Critical Reception *Reception for the movie was mixed, with a 48% "Rotten" rating on the Rotten Tomatoes, based on 160 critical reviews. *Film critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave S.W.A.T. a favorable rating of three stars, as well as a thumbs up on the At the Movies show. He complimented the characters, dialogue and the action sequences which he found believable. Trivia *Original series actors Steve Forrest and Rod Perry make cameo appearances as well. Forrest drives the team's van while Perry, who played Deacon Kay, serves as Kay's father. *Michael Bay, Rob Cohen, Antoine Fuqua, Michael Mann, Joel Schumacher, Tony Scott, Zack Snyder, Roger Spottiswoode, and John Woo were all approached to direct the movie before Clark Johnson signed on. They passed because they were all busy with other projects. *Mark Wahlberg was the first choice for the role of Jim Street, but turned it down. Paul Walker was originally cast and had even started training for the part, but had to drop out due to filming on 2 Fast 2 Furious. Colin Farrell eventually replaced him. Vin Diesel was offered to play Deacon "Deke" Kaye, but passed because he was in production with The Chronicles of Riddick and LL Cool J was then cast. At one point during the early stages of development, Arnold Schwarzenegger was considered for the role of Dan "Hondo" Harrelson, but he declined and Samuel L. Jackson took the part. * In 2011, Sony Home Entertainment released an unrelated and in-name-only sequel entitled S.W.A.T.: Firefight straight to DVD and Blu-Ray. That same year, another Ayer-unrelated-except-in-name-only sequel titled Street Kings: Motor City also appeared on the video shelfs. Gallery 01-3.jpg 01-2.jpg 01-1.jpg 02-1.jpg 06.jpg 05.jpg 02-2.jpg 02-3.jpg 12.jpg 04.jpg 10.jpg 09.jpg 03.jpg 03-2.jpg 13.jpg 03-1.jpg 06-1.jpg 14.jpg 18449__swatbor_l.jpg 08.jpg 04-1.jpg 153132__swat_l.jpg 15.jpg 11.jpg 02.jpg 01.jpg 16.jpg s_w_a_t_ver2.jpg s_w_a_t_ver3.jpg s_w_a_t_ver4.jpg s_w_a_t_ver5.jpg s_w_a_t.jpg SWAT screenshot of police superiors.jpg Jeremy Renner in SWAT.jpg S-W-A-T-jeremy-renner-16285800-2090-2560.jpg External Links * *S.W.A.T. on Wikipedia Category:Films Category:Action movies Category:Crime movies Category:Movies with police corruption Category:Movies with car chases Category:Movies with Latino gangs Category:Movies with African-American gangs Category:2003 releases Category:Films written by David Ayer Category:Sony Pictures releases